Malawi: The government of Malawi has announced a drone initiative for healthcare delivery. A drone delivery company Village Reach has been authorized to start delivering lifesaving health products to health facilities in hard to reach areas in Karonga.
The project has been implemented with the aim to ensure equitable access to health facilities. Healthcare is a major industry for the nation and there are several places within Malawi which are hard to reach and navigate through conventional delivery methods.
As such the drone delivery company has been tasked with the responsibility of making the donation. He shared that the members of the community are happy with the new development and have appreciated the nation.
Speaking during a District Executive Committee (DEC) meeting Thursday, Senior Programs Officer for Village Reach, Innocent Mainjeni, said the organization has for the past 20 years been working on how to improve transportation of vaccines, medical drugs and laboratory samples in low income countries.
“People who live in remote or hard to reach areas have difficulties in accessing medical products and services and Karonga, being a disaster prone district, the drone delivery service will play a vital role in ensuring that health care services are not an option but a right for all,” said Mainjeni.
He said the drone delivery system will overcome challenges which are associated with infrastructure and logistics thereby optimizing supply chain systems for them to be more effective and reliable.
Mainjeni explained that the drones made by an Australian company, Swoop Aero, are capable of covering a distance of 100 kilometers carrying a package weighing a minimum of three kilograms.
Director of Health Services (DHS) for Karonga, David Sibale, said the initiative will mitigate challenges in transportation of drugs and other small health service related items to facilities which are far from the district hospital.
“This will greatly assist in making sure that supplies are readily available in health facilities around Wiliro, Kayelekera and Kaporo.
“I would like to urge community members to have a positive attitude towards this initiative as sometimes people associate new innovations with misconceptions,” Sibale said.